Air Source Versus Geothermal Heat Pump Heating Systems - Energy Efficient Electric Heating & Cooling
Heat pumps are the most resourceful form of electric heating in moderate climates. They cool a house by collecting the heat inside the house and effectively pumping it outside. There are three types of heat pumps that one can install: air-to-air, water source and ground source. Heat pumps can collect heat from air, water or ground. They can utilize the same method to heat or cool your home. When installing a heat pump at home, one should consider using an energy-efficient heat pump system. Therefore, you must keep in mind the climate of the region.
Northern regions need either a specially engineered heat pump such as the Acadia heat pump system or they need a geothermal heat pump. The typical conventional air source system will not work efficiently in the colder weather. Colder weather of the Northern regions of the USA and Canada. Heat pumps make a great efficient source of heat for many people that live in moderate climates.
Geography & Heat Pumps – Air Source versus Geothermal Heat Pump Heating Systems
For instance, air source heat pumps are a good option for mild and moderate climate regions. Ground-source or geothermal heat pumps are efficient in climates with similar heating and cooling loads. The most common types of systems are the air-source and ground-source heat pumps. Although ground source systems are more expensive to install, they are more efficient and less noisy.
Air Source Versus Geothermal Heat Pump Heating Systems - Heat Pump Installation & Size
Residential Heat Pumps
However, to make heat pumps work efficiently, they should be installed properly. One should choose the right sized pump that can fulfill the heating and cooling demands of the house. While selecting a heat pump one should buy a device with a higher Heating Seasonal Performance Factor, or HSPF. The system should also be fitted with demand-defrost control. This minimizes the defrost cycles and reduces supplementary and heat pump energy use.
Sizing
What size heat pump do you need? Heat pumps are sized accordingly to the temperature loads and R-rating factors of the home. Special software is used to calculate a manual J load calculation. The calculation is based on the materials the home is built with including doors and windows. Also, it takes into account geographical considerations for sizing requirements. The software Manual J calculation takes into account what the size of the system should be for your home.
Goodman Condenser Flood Protection – Air Source versus Geothermal Heat Pump Heating Systems
This heat pump condensing unit has been installed on the platform. The area where this condenser is located is prone to flooding and the platform raises the heat pump condenser at least one foot above the floodplain. This is usually required depending on the municipality or government agency in charge of mechanical and electrical inspections. If you live in a flood-prone area it is wise to protect the equipment from flood damage. Heat pumps may continue to run after being flooded. However, the reliability is drastically reduced. Moreover, you will definitely experience mechanical and electrical problems with the equipment.
Air Source versus Geothermal Heat Pump Heating Systems - Conclusion
It is not uncommon for the air conditioner or heat pump condensing units to experience corroded electrical connections. Salt or brackish water will cause mechanical-electrical components to fail prematurely. Take measures to protect your equipment in flood-prone areas. You will save yourself a ton of hassles in the future if Mother Nature were to decide to flood your condenser. It could mean the difference between you having heating and cooling after a flood or not having heating and cooling. Moreover, a wise person would want to have some air conditioning and heating comfort inside their dwelling to ease the stress of going through a major disaster.
Geothermal systems are more efficient than air source heat pump systems. They work better in colder climates but are more expensive to install. Modern air source heat pumps are less expensive. The top air source models can give you an efficiency rating higher than a geothermal heat pump system. If efficiency was my main concern and my budget was my secondary concern I would likely go to the top of the line air source heat pump. Air source over a geothermal heat pump especially if I lived in the South. Finally, if I lived in the North my decision would probably shift to a geothermal heat pump system.
Air Source versus Geothermal Heat Pump Heating Systems - Video
Air Source Versus Geothermal Heat Pumps for Heating Systems
A few feet below the earth’s surface, the temperature stays a relatively constant temperature year round. During the winter, it moves the heat from the earth into your home to provide heat. During the summer, it pulls the heat from your home and discharges it into the ground leaving your home cooler.